THE veteran broadcaster, John Simpson, tweeted on June 16: ‘It’s a year since Jo Cox was murdered: the worst year for Britain in my lifetime’.

It’s hard to disagree with Simpson; whichever way you voted on Brexit or in the recent parliamentary election, our national life is in disarray.

Our government is not as ‘strong and stable’ as we had been led to believe.

The atrocities committed in London and Manchester have brought tensions between different communities to the surface of our national consciousness.

Similarly, the Grenfell Tower fire has raised difficult questions about the relationship between the poor and the privileged.

It has been a horrible year.

For some, it’s been a year that has brought unspeakable grief. Even if we’re not among those most directly affected by these tragedies, many of us feel nervous and uncertain about the future.

It’s a state of affairs very similar to what the Bible describes: "an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing and a despairing heart. You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life" (the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 28, verses 65-66).

It would be foolish to rush to judgement on exactly what is happening in our own country, let alone the world. Suffering humbles us – and trite platitudes will not do.

At the same time, as a Christian, I know that, whatever happens, God is still God. He is not a helpless bystander. On the contrary, ‘he sets up kings… and deposes them’ (the book of Daniel, chapter 2, verse 21). He has not abandoned his throne.

I also know that his kingdom is at work in the world. To use the image of Jesus’ well known parable, it’s a mustard seed kingdom: it often looks weak and insignificant in the present, but it will end well. It will end gloriously in a new world of truth and righteousness.

God’s kingdom will stand – and it will triumph, whatever is happening in the UK. It is growing all around the world as people turn away from their rejection of God and trust in the magnificent generosity of a God we encounter in the Lord Jesus.

Christians are those who pray ‘Your kingdom come’. It’s a prayer that is always urgent – not least when times are horrible and uncertain – and a prayer that will be heard.

Rev. Canon Andrew Raynes

Christ Church with St Matthew, Blackburn